The Ten Great Realms

Chapter 5: The Ten Great Realms

"The Great Gan Dynasty favors the Dao. The Yujing Temple outside the city is a famous Fangxian Dao sect. The Daoist arts of refining the spirit, stabilizing the mind, and the Yin Spirit leaving the body are quite widespread. Their profound and mysterious aspects far surpass our superficial understanding. You are a scholar, little sir, so why settle for less? Why not seek out the enlightened ones at the Daoist temples for guidance instead of asking us foxes?" Elder Tu asked curiously.

"One must be able to stabilize the mind to reach stillness, and only through stillness can one find peace. This is the principle of a scholar. Since this is an immortal art for cultivating the soul, the first step of stabilizing the mind is indeed essential. When a scholar writes an essay, the first step is also to calm the heart and gather one's thoughts to achieve total concentration. If one's thoughts are scattered and the heart is like a wild monkey or a galloping horse, then nothing can be done well."

The woman in red smiled, turned around, and looked at Hong Yi: "This is your student. What do you think?" In an instant, Hong Yi felt an air of arrogance and command emanating from Consort Yuan.

"Teaching beasts to understand reason is something only sages can do. Although I lack the qualifications, I shall reluctantly play the role of a sage for once." Hong Yi nodded.

"Naturally, I will not test you on archery or horsemanship. I will ask you one question." Consort Yuan asked without hesitation: "What is the greatest thing in the world?"

"As long as one can speak of reason, it is not terrifying. What 'subjects of the Great Gan Dynasty'? This fox seems to have truly entered the state of a scholar, treating herself as a commoner under the jurisdiction of the Great Gan Dynasty. However, her speech is elegant and her logic clear; she is indeed worthy of respect." Hong Yi thought to himself, and his heart settled.

Consort Yuan blurted it out, clearly a question that had troubled her for a long time.

"How can you speak human language?" Hong Yi asked.

Beside the campfire were many exquisite little wooden stools, and a group of foxes were sitting like humans, reading books. In such an environment, Hong Yi had no way to contact Daoists. Moreover, ordinary Daoists, in order to refine elixirs and burn mercury, always clung to the powerful and wealthy. As a low-ranking illegitimate son, Hong Yi had no contact with such extraordinary people.

"Is the young lady called Consort Yuan?" Hong Yi turned to look at the woman in red and bowed. Whether it was a ghost or a fox, as long as it could speak with reason, it was not terrifying. Thinking of the fox-demon notes and novels he usually read, Hong Yi's mind calmed down a little.

"Am I not like Lord Ye who loved dragons? Calm down, calm down. If the fox-ghosts are truly as recorded in the Caotang Notes, there is nothing to fear. It couldn't be that this group of foxes wants to study and has invited me to be their teacher? Foxes wanting to read like humans, what a fantasy..."

"Jiji, jiji..." Hong Yi was startled again, for he saw an old fox standing like a human, its hind legs on the ground, its front paws cupped in a salute, walking over in a wobbly fashion. Hong Yi widened his eyes, watching this old fox. The other party spoke elegantly, and in its speech, it cited facts and discussed principles everywhere, even more like a scholar than a scholar. It was truly an elegant fox.

Elder Tu showed a look of a headache.

"Hahahaha." Hearing Hong Yi call him a man of elegant demeanor, the old fox named Elder Tu was so happy that his whiskers twitched, and he seemed to have forgotten himself in his excitement. Hong Yi listened to these fresh things and, combining them with the principles of a scholar, secretly pondered.

"Old sir is truly a man of elegant demeanor." Hong Yi also cupped his hands and returned a scholar's salute. Since the other party used a scholar's etiquette, he could not lose his own decorum.

"What does Miss Consort Yuan wish to test me on? Poetry and songs? Classics and essays? Or policy discourse? If it were archery and horsemanship, I would be unable to comply." Hong Yi said sternly.

Hong Yi looked at these fluffy little white foxes, rolling on the ground like snowballs, and as he thought about teaching them to read and write, a sense of absurdity welled up in his heart. Although he had read Li Yan's Caotang Notes, which were mostly stories of foxes, ghosts, and talented scholars with beautiful fox maidens, he had fantasized about meeting one someday. But who would have thought that when he actually met them today, a bone-chilling cold would suddenly rise in his heart?

"I have read many notes, and the foxes in them are all-powerful, proficient in the ways of cultivation, and capable of infinite transformations. I wonder if Elder Tu possesses these divine abilities?" Hong Yi looked at all this and felt that this group of foxes was very different from the fox-demons in the notes, so he couldn't help but ask.

The way this old fox walked upright gave Hong Yi an illusion: "This fox is like an old village scholar."

"Hmm? Elder Tu also has a collection of books?" Hong Yi was stunned. He looked around and discovered that there was a stone cave to the south of the secluded valley, with flickering lights inside. More importantly, Hong Yi knew that his father, Marquis Wuwen, considered himself a master of Neo-Confucianism and detested Buddhism and Daoism. Once, during a military conflict between the imperial court and the Cloud Dream Empire, the Emperor summoned Daoists to inquire about fortune, but was immediately admonished by Marquis Wuwen, who scolded the Daoists in court: "Those who pretend to be gods and ghosts also want to influence the state and control the divine artifacts? It is simply absurd."

"Sir, your arrival in the secluded valley today truly makes it shine. As a scholar, you should know that beasts also have a heart for the Dao and reason. In the past, there were fierce tigers and lions that listened to sages expound the scriptures. Consort Yuan has no malice in inviting you here today. Moreover, our Pure Fox Clan is not like ordinary beasts without wisdom; we understand reason and worldly affairs. Scholars study things to understand principles; you should know that in ancient times, there was no difference between humans and beasts. Both ate raw meat and drank blood, covered in fur. The people of ancient times were no different from apes and monkeys. Only later did they gradually stand upright, eat cooked food, and create writing to become humans. We of the Pure Fox Clan have long lived in the deep mountains, which is no different from the uncivilized people of ancient times. Your surprise is our rudeness."

"Little sir, will you agree to be their teacher?" Consort Yuan asked.

"Sir, please sit by the campfire." Elder Tu also noticed that Hong Yi's frame was slightly thin and the night wind in the valley was cold, so he immediately invited Hong Yi to the fire.

"Elder Tu. Xiao Sang, Xiao Jiu, and Xiao Shu are still young and ignorant. The little sir is a wonderful person and a scholar; he surely won't blame them for their lack of manners."

"Miss Consort Yuan must also be a fox immortal with profound cultivation to be able to transform into human form." Elder Tu spoke eloquently and logically.

"Humans have human language, and beasts have beast language. Mynah birds and parrots can also speak human language. Humans can also learn bird language; why can't foxes learn human language? A fox learning human language is just like the people of our Great Gan Dynasty learning the foreign Yantu language, Huoluo language, or the language of the Cloud Dream Empire. It is merely a matter of pronunciation; what is there to be surprised about?" The old fox named Elder Tu replied, still very methodical.

"Eh?" This voice was stiff and the tone was very strange, as if there was a fishbone stuck in the throat, but the words were articulated clearly enough to be understood.

"Of course there is. A prosperous age values the collection of books. Now, our Great Gan Dynasty is in an unprecedented golden age. Ordinary wealthy families have hundreds or thousands of books in their collections, so we naturally want to learn. Actually, the reason we invited you here today is half to teach these children, and the other half is to ask you to organize our books. Categorize them into classics, history, philosophy, and literature so that it will be convenient for these children to read when they grow up. Otherwise, it's all a mess, which is truly a headache."

"Hmm, when one understands reason, the mind becomes clear and will not be affected by ghosts, gods, or demons. Things whose origins are known are not terrifying. If they are not terrifying, the mind remains stable, and demons cannot cause trouble." Hong Yi nodded.

"I only compose a line or two occasionally." Hong Yi said modestly. A cold wind blew, and he suddenly felt a bit chilly.

"Regarding the matters of cultivation, they are as numerous as the stars in the sky and cannot be explained in a short while. I do have many books on cultivation in my humble abode, all of which I brought out when the Great Zen Temple was destroyed. You may take a look at them, sir. There are still many parts I do not understand and need you to explain."

"Foxes that can transform are one in ten thousand; they are all brilliant and talented. We foxes are born no different from ordinary beasts, muddled and confused. Only a small portion of foxes can understand human nature and follow humans to learn how to use fire and eat cooked food. And among this small portion, only a very few can learn to read and understand reason. Only after understanding reason, through various coincidences, can they learn the way of cultivation and eventually cultivate a Yin Spirit as powerful as the Ghost Immortals of the Daoists. Our cultivation is entirely based on learning the methods of enlightened humans. Humans are the darlings of heaven, with infinite wisdom and infinite mysteries in their bodies. I once lived near the Great Zen Temple in Zhongzhou for a period of time and watched the monks cultivate and chant scriptures day and night, so I know a little bit about the principles of cultivation. For a fox to understand human nature, understand reason, and then cultivate, it requires all sorts of coincidences. It is far inferior to humans. These little foxes only have simple spirituality now, which is why I invited you to teach them to read and write. Only when they understand reason can they cultivate."

"Sir can also compose poetry?" Elder Tu was surprised again, his pair of emerald fox eyes filled with pleasant surprise, as if he had found a treasure.

"I dare not, I dare not." Consort Yuan said with a smile: "Transformation is merely an illusion, using thoughts to confuse the souls of ordinary people, like 'ghosts building walls.' It can only confuse commoners and fishermen who fear ghosts and gods. It cannot confuse a clear-minded scholar like you, little sir. I am not a fox, but a human."

"There are many ways to cultivate in the world, but the goal is nothing more than to transcend life and death. Most fall into two categories. The first is focusing on refining the soul, called immortal arts. The second is refining the physical body, called martial arts. The cultivation of immortal arts is actually the cultivation of one's own thoughts. The methods are diverse, but there are only ten great realms: Stabilizing the Spirit, Leaving the Shell, Night Wandering, Day Wandering, Driving Objects, Manifesting Form, Possessing the Body, Seizing the House, Thunder Tribulation, and Yang Spirit. As for the realms of martial arts, I do not know. Consort Yuan herself is a master of fist techniques and can explain them to you, sir." Elder Tu said.

"Oh? Scholars do not speak of strange powers and chaotic spirits. I know very little about these things. However, since I have the opportunity today, I must ask." Although Hong Yi knew that the Yujing Temple outside the city was the largest Daoist temple with many Daoists who clung to the powerful and some even burned elixirs in the imperial palace, these people were despised by scholars, who believed they used ghosts and gods to fool the common people.

"Reason is the greatest?" A hint of joy appeared on Consort Yuan's face: "What a 'reason is the greatest.' Fortunately, I stopped for a while when I passed by Qiuyue Temple today and heard you reciting poetry, so I knew you were no ordinary person. Sir, you have solved a huge doubt for me." He had just heard the fox Elder Tu call the woman in red Consort Yuan.

"Are you human or a demon?" Hong Yi looked at the woman in red again and asked.

Hong Yi looked by the firelight and saw that the books held by these foxes were not the cultivation classics he had imagined, but simple children's primers like the Thousand Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, and the Three Character Classic.

"What is the greatest thing in the world?" Hong Yi thought, "Of course, reason is the greatest."

"Demon..."

"Don't worry about so much. I am your employer. I am hiring you to be a teacher for ten taels of red gold per month." The woman in red smiled mysteriously. Another voice came from beside the campfire. Just then, the group of foxes reading by the campfire had already seen someone. Three young foxes let out a cry, dropped their books, stretched their four limbs, and scurried over like a wisp of smoke, jumping up and down around the woman in red, looking overjoyed. It was clear they were very familiar with this woman in red.

"Since that is the case, then that is fine. However, I still have to test you. Ten taels of red gold a month is enough to open a school; I cannot pay for nothing." Consort Yuan's eyes were fixed on Hong Yi.

"I wonder what the way of cultivation is like? How does one cultivate?" Hong Yi asked.

Seeing the group of white foxes sitting around the campfire like humans, holding books and chanting in the valley, the only reaction in Hong Yi's mind was: "I've really met demons!"

"Xiao Sang, Xiao Fei, Xiao Shu, stop making a scene. We have a guest today. Do not lose your manners. Why are your hands still crawling on the ground? You still can't change your beastly habits, making the guest laugh at you."